Portable inventory tracking system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for managing inventory in a dispensing cabinet includes a mobile terminal, and an association station configured to associate the mobile terminal with an item type stored in the dispensing cabinet. The association station receives, from the mobile terminal, an indication of a respective item unit of the first item type being moved, determines an access status of one or more containers of the dispensing cabinet when the indication is received, determines a container location for the item unit based on the access status of the containers and receiving the indication of the respective item being moved from the first mobile terminal, and causes, responsive to determining the container location, a supply record associated with the item type and a first container of the dispensing cabinet to be updated to reflect a change to a first amount of the first item type stored in the first container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 16/867,493, entitled “PORTABLE INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM,” filed onMay 5, 2020, which is a continuation application of U.S. applicationSer. No. 12/503,012, entitled “PORTABLE INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM,”filed on Jul. 14, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,657,488, the entirety ofeach of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure generally relates to item tracking devices, andmore particularly, to tracking a quantity of items.

Description of the Related Art

It is well known in the medical community, and in particular, inhospitals, to provide centrally located medication and supply dispensingstations, such as cabinet 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. Such generallyaccessible cabinets 100 serve several functions including providing acentralized distribution point of medicines and supplies to patients.

Some of these cabinets 100 include hardwired buttons (e.g., physicallyconnected to a circuit assembly of the station) in order to trackquantities of supplies within the station. For example, the cabinet 100includes a return button 102 and a take button 104, indicating to thecabinet's computer system 106 the removal or addition, respectively, ofan item from an inventory for the item in a container 110 (e.g., ashelf). These buttons 102 and 104 require multiple manual interactionsby a user to be associate the actions triggered by the buttons 102 and104 with items in the cabinet 100.

For example, when a user wants to add a new item to the inventory housedin the cabinet 100, it usually requires a minimum of nine steps.Specifically, as illustrated in the process 200 of FIG. 2, in step 201,a user would first need to log in to the computer system 106 of thecabinet 100 to place the cabinet 100 into a mode that recognizes thatthe user intends to load a supply of items in the container 110 andassign buttons 102 and 104 to the item. Next, in step 202, the useropens the container 110 to access the space within the container, instep 203, the user loads the supply of items in the container 110, andin step 204, selects the buttons 102 and 104 to associate the actionstriggered by the buttons 102 and 104 with a change in the supply of theitem in the container 110. In step 205, the user selects a descriptionfor the item and a quantity of the item (e.g., indicating the supply) toassociate with the buttons 102 and 103, and confirms the selection instep 206. In decision step 207, if the user decides to associate anotheritem to other buttons, the process 200 returns to step 203, otherwisethe user in step 208 decides whether there are more containers 110 inthe cabinet 100 to load with a supply of another item. If there are morecontainers to load with a supply of another item, the process 200proceeds to step 209, in which the current container is closed, andanother container that is to be loaded with the supply of the other itemis opened, and then the process 200 returns to step 203. Otherwise, ifthere are no more containers to load with a supply of another item, theprocess moves to final step 210, in which the user logs out of thecomputer system 106 of the cabinet 100.

By way of another example, when a user wants to reorganize items housedin a container in a cabinet, or add a different item to a fully stockedcabinet, it usually requires a minimum of fourteen steps that includerequiring a user to disassociate an item from a pair of buttons and thenre-associate the item with another pair of buttons. Specifically, asillustrated in the process 300 of FIG. 3, in step 301, a user wouldfirst need to log in to the computer system 106 of the cabinet 100 toplace the cabinet 100 into a mode that recognizes that the user intendsto reorganize items in the container 110 and reassign different buttons102 and 104 to the item. Next, in step 302, the user opens the container110 to access the space within the container, in step 303, the userunloads the supply of items from a location in the container 110, instep 304, selects the buttons 102 and 103 to disassociate from thesupply of the item in the container 110, and in step 305, confirms theselection. In decision step 306, if the user wants to disassociateanother item in the container 110 from buttons, the process 300 returnsto step 304, otherwise the process proceeds to step 307.

In step 305, the user reloads the items unloaded in step 303 to a newlocation in the container 110, and in step 308 selects a new pair ofbuttons (associated with the new location)) for the same container 110to associate with the supply of the item. In step 309, the user selectsa description for the item and a quantity of the item (e.g., indicatingthe supply) to associate with the new pair of buttons 102 and 103, andconfirms the selection in step 310. In decision step 311, if the userdecides that no other items need to be associated with a new pair ofbuttons (i.e., no other items were selected to be reorganized in steps303-306), the process 300 proceeds to decision step 312, otherwise theprocess 300 returns to step 308. In decision step 312, if the userdecides to load (e.g., reorganize) items in another container, then instep 313 the user closes the current container 110 and opens anothercontainer, and then the process 300 returns to step 303, otherwise, ifthe user decides not to load (e.g., reorganize) items in anothercontainer, the process 300 proceeds to step 314 in which the currentopen container 110 is closed, and then in step 315, the user logs out ofthe computer system 106 of the cabinet 100.

Additionally, adding new stock to the cabinet 100 is a distinct processfrom restocking or reorganizing the cabinet 100 when such stock exceedsspace provided in the cabinet 100. Specifically, a user performing arestock of an item has to establish a button association with the itemprior to restocking the item in the cabinet 100. On the other hand, ifthe user wants to add a new item to the cabinet, the user must use acompletely separate process

Consequently, current cabinets 100 are difficult to reorganize, causinginefficiencies in both cabinet space utilization and responsiveness tochanges in inventory quantity and selection. Inventory in a container110 is rarely static as a new supply of items takes the place of othersupplies over time, and inventory optimization efforts cause therequired container space for each item to change. In these cases,replacing one item requires the reorganization of many items on theshelves, making the process 300 longer. As illustrated above, for eachmovement of an item, the user must remove the association of the item toits buttons and re-associate the item to another set of buttons. Eventhe allocation of additional space in a container for more stock of oneitem can cause the user to perform re-associations for several itemsdisplaced by reorganization. For example, it is not unusual for a userto have to move multiple items to accommodate a single new item or anincrease in stock for an item. Consequently, reconfiguration andoptimization of container space often takes several days.

As a simple example, assume container 1 currently contains gloves andcontainer 2 currently contains bandages. If it is desired to switchthese items so that container 1 contains bandages and container 2contains gloves, the cumbersome processes described above would have tobe followed, due to the hardwired and permanent nature of the take andreturn buttons and the current methodology.

Unfortunately, such reconfiguration and/or optimization, such as thesteps of processes 200 and 300, are performed at the cabinet 100,rendering the cabinet unavailable to dispense medications to other usersduring such reconfiguration. For example, a pharmacy technician is oftenresponsible to load 200 or reorganize 300 supplies in a cabinet 100,thereby effectively taking the cabinet 100 offline while nurses andother healthcare professionals who desire to use the cabinet 100 todispense medications must wait. This causes undue delay in using thecabinets 100, especially in a hospital setting. In many cases, hospitalsattempt to avoid this concern by leaving spaces in a cabinet 100 open oravoid reconfiguring the cabinet 100 altogether.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the supply cabinet disclosed herein, which has particularuse as a medication cabinet, provide mobile (e.g., wireless) terminalsthat can be quickly moved from one container in a cabinet to anothercontainer, and quickly associated and/or disassociated with a supply ofitems in the container. The mobile terminals are configured to transmitinformation indicating changes in quantity of the supply of the items,and can assist the cabinet's controller in determining the location ofthe items.

According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a system fortracking the quantity of an item is provided. The system includes aportable terminal, a client, and a cabinet. The portable terminal isconfigured to receive information indicating a change in the quantity ofthe item in a container. The portable terminal includes a uniqueidentifier associated with the portable terminal, an input deviceconfigured to be actuated to indicate the change in the quantity of theitem in the container, and a transceiver configured to transmit theinformation indicating the change in the quantity of the item. Theclient is configured to associate the portable terminal with the itembased on the unique identifier. The client includes a transceiverconfigured to receive the information indicating the change in thequantity of the item from the portable terminal, and transmit theinformation. The cabinet includes the container configured to store theitem, and a controller configured to change a value indicating aquantity of the item based on the information transmitted from theclient.

According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, a system fortracking the quantity of an item is disclosed. The system includes aportable terminal configured to receive information indicating a changein the quantity of the item in a container. The portable terminalincludes a unique identifier associated with the portable terminal, aninput device configured to be actuated to indicate a change in thequantity of the item in the container, and a transceiver configured totransmit the information indicating the change in the quantity of theitem.

According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a method fortracking the quantity of an item is disclosed. The method includesreceiving information from a portable terminal coupled to a firstterminal location in a cabinet, the information indicating a change inthe quantity. The method also includes associating the information withan item in a container of the cabinet based on a unique identifierassociated with the portable terminal, and receiving information fromthe portable terminal at a second terminal location in a cabinet, theinformation indicating a change in the quantity of the same item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings of the prior art are included to providefurther understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part ofthis specification. In the prior art drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a medication dispensing cabinet according to theprior art.

FIG. 2 illustrates a process for loading a supply of an item in thecabinet of FIG. 1, according to the prior art.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process for reorganizing a supply of items in thecabinet of FIG. 1, according to the prior art.

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide furtherunderstanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with thedescription serve to explain the principles of the disclosedembodiments. In the drawings of the disclosed embodiments:

FIG. 4A illustrates a terminal and an association station according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 4B illustrates a rear-view of the terminal of FIG. 4A in thedirection of arrow IV from FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 illustrates a dispensing station including two terminals and theassociation station of FIGS. 4A-4B, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process for associating a supply of items with theterminal of FIG. 4A, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process for loading a supply of items in thedispensing station of FIG. 5, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a process for reorganizing a supply of items in thedispensing station of FIG. 5, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates a process for adding a new supply of items to thedispensing station of FIG. 4A, according to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. It willbe obvious, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that theembodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some ofthese specific details. In other instances, well-known structures andtechniques have not been shown in detail to avoid obscuring thedisclosure. Furthermore, although the exemplary embodiments discussedherein refer to medical supply cabinets, the systems and methodsdisclosed herein are applicable to all types of supply cabinets.

FIG. 4A illustrates a terminal 410 (or “remote terminal” or “mobileterminal” or “button pair”) and an association station 430 (or “client”)according to certain embodiments. The terminal 410 is a mobile (e.g.,wireless) terminal that can be quickly moved from one container in acabinet to another container, and quickly associated and/ordisassociated with a supply of items in the cabinet. The terminal 410 isdetachable (e.g., not hardwired or permanently mounted), and readilyremovable and attachable to a cabinet as discussed below. The terminal410 is configured to transmit information indicating a. change inquantity of the supply of an item, and can assist in determining thelocation of the item.

The terminal 410 includes a unique identifier (not illustrated)associated with the terminal 410. The unique identifier can be, forexample, an address, a bar code, or a radio frequency identification(RFID) tag. By having a unique identifier, the terminal 410 candistinguish itself from another terminal having another, differentunique identifier.

The terminal 410 also includes one or several input devices, illustratedas buttons 412 and 414 in the embodiment of FIG. 4A, configured to beactuated to indicate a change in the quantity of an associated item. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the “return” button 412 can bepressed by a user in order to indicate a decrease (e.g., by one) in thesupply of the item, while the “take” button 414 can be pressed by theuser in order to indicate an increase (e.g., by one) in the supply ofthe item. In certain embodiments, there may be only one input deviceconfigured to indicate a change in quantity of the item. In certainembodiments, there may be additional input devices associated with otheractions, such as whether the terminal 410 is currently being used, tosynchronize the terminal 410 with the association station 430, etc.Further, the actuation is not manual in certain embodiments, but is byother methods, such as by RFID recognition of placement or removal of anRFID tagged item.

An indication of the actuation (e.g., use) of the input devices 412 and414 is provided by an indicator, illustrated as a light emitting diode(LED) 416 for the return button 412 and an LED for the take button 414.By providing an indication of the actuation of the input devices 412 and414, the user is made aware of the functionality and/or change in statusof the inventory. The terminal 410 also includes a transceiver 440(schematically illustrated in phantom) configured to transmitinformation indicating the change in the quantity of the item. Thetransceiver 440 can connected to or otherwise include, for example, acentral processing unit or computer configured to receive, store, andtransmit information to a remote location, such as to the associationstation 430.

FIG. 4B illustrates a rear-view of the terminal 410 of FIG. 4A in thedirection of arrow IV from FIG. 4A, according to certain embodiments. Asillustrated, the terminal 410 includes mounting brackets 424 configuredto couple the terminal 410 to another object, such as a dispensingcabinet. In certain embodiments, other types of mounting brackets 424can be used, such as fasteners, couplers, magnets, etc. The terminal 410also includes a mounting sensor 422 in certain embodiments. The mountingsensor 422 is configured to determine whether the terminal 410 is inuse, such as by determining whether the terminal 410 is mounted to anobject, such as the wall of a cabinet, or is being moved. In such cases,the mounting sensor 422 can be a proximity sensor or a contact sensor.The terminal 410 can be programmed to determine it is not in use if themounting sensor 422 indicates the terminal 410 is not mounted, wherebythe terminal 410 can decide to not transmit information from itstransceiver and/or enter a power down mode. In certain embodiments,other actions may be taken by the terminal 410 if the mounting sensor422 determines the terminal 410 is not in use. In certain embodiments,the terminal 410 can contain contact points through which the terminal410 can communicate and receive power, such as by docking to embodimentsof the cabinet discussed below. In certain embodiments, the terminal 410contains its own power source (e.g., rechargeable batteries).

Association station 430 is configured to associate the portable terminal410 with the item based on the unique identifier. The associationstation 430 can be, for example, a processing system that includes aninput device (e.g., keyboard), output device (e.g., display), aprocessor, and memory. The association station 430 includes atransceiver 450 configured to receive the information indicating thechange in the quantity of the item from the terminal 410, and transmitthe information to the dispensing station 500 illustrated in FIG. 5.

Specifically, FIG. 5 illustrates a dispensing station 500 (or“medication cabinet” or “inventory-tracking device”) including twoterminals 410 a and 410 b and the association station 430 of FIGS.4A-4B, according to certain embodiments. The dispensing station 500includes a controller 506 that is configured to control access tocontainers 510 and 520 in the dispensing station 500, and track thequantity and location of the items in the containers 510 and 520. Thecontroller can be, for example, a computer system that includes an inputdevice (e.g., keyboard), output device (e.g., display), a processor, andmemory. Association station 430 is configured to associate each ofterminals 410 a and 410 b with different supplies of items based on theunique identifiers assigned to each of the terminals 410 a and 410 b. Incertain embodiments, the association station 430 is separate from thecontroller 506 in order to provide the inventory tracking features ofthe mobile terminal 410 as discussed herein. In certain embodiments, theassociation station 430 can be included in or a part of the dispensingcabinet 500, and may be accessible through the controller 506 of thedispensing cabinet 500. However, it should be understood that in suchembodiments, the terminal 410 a and 410 b remain mobile and are nothardwired to the dispensing station 500.

The association station 430 is further configured to communicate with acontroller 506 included in the dispensing station 500, such as toindicate a change in the quantity of a supply of items and a location ofthe items. For example, if the take button of terminal 410 a is pressedby a user, then terminal 410 a transmits information to associationstation 430 indicating its take button has been pressed. The associationstation 430, which has associated a supply of items, for example, itemA, with terminal 410 a, receives the information from terminal 410 a,and then transmits information to the controller 506 indicating item Ahas decreased by one. The controller 506 receives the information fromthe association station 430, and then updates its supply record of itemA, decreasing the value by one. Furthermore, if only one container,container 510, of the association station 430 is open, then thecontroller 506 can also determine that item A associated with terminal410 a is in container 510, because no other containers of the dispensingstation 500 are currently accessible. In certain embodiments, controller506 interacts directly with terminal 410 a (e.g., without associationstation 430), for example, to indicate a change in the quantity of asupply of items and a location of the items.

By way of another example, if initially both containers 510 and 520 areopen, then terminal 410 b is moved from container 510 to container 520and container 510 is closed, and finally the take button of terminal 410b is pressed by a user, then the controller 506 can both (1) update itssupply record of the item associated with terminal 410 b, decreasing thevalue by one, and (2) update its location record of the item associatedwith terminal 410 b to indicate the item's supply is now located incontainer 520, because no other containers of the dispensing station 500are currently accessible other than container 520.

Unlike the prior art, in which an item is both associated with buttons102 and 104 and loaded into a cabinet 100 in the same process (asillustrated in FIG. 2), resulting in significant downtime of the cabinet100 on a hospital floor, the processes disclosed herein advantageouslyseparate association of items with a terminal 410 (as described in FIG.6) from loading the items and the terminal 410 in a dispensing station500 (as described in FIG. 7), so that the association of the items withthe terminal 410 can take place away from the hospital floor, reducingdowntime of the dispensing station 500 to only the loading of items andthe terminal into the dispensing station 500. In order to furtherincrease efficiency, the terminal 410 may be associated with a supply ofitems when the items are packaged for delivery, such that a properlyconfigured terminal 410 arrives each supply of items.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process 600 for associating a supply of items withthe terminal 410 of FIG. 4A, according to certain embodiments. Theprocess 600 can occur away from the location of the dispensing station500 so that the dispensing station 500 can remain available to dispensemedication and other items to users. The process 600 may be performed asmany times as necessary to associate the required number of terminals410 for supplies of items. The configuration created by the process 600,as well as the processes 700, 800, and 900 of FIGS. 7-9 may be stored inthe terminal 410, the association station 430, the dispensing station500, or another location.

The process 600 begins in step 601, where a user logs in to theassociation station 430, such as by providing authenticationinformation. The authentication information can include a biometricidentifier, a name and password, or other form of user identificationknown to those of skill in the art. In step 602, the user selects aterminal 410, and in step 603 selects a description of an item (e.g.,“Atenolol 20 mg”) and a quantity of the item (e.g., “50”) to associatewith the terminal 410. In step 604, the user confirms the selection ofstep 603. In decision step 605, if another terminal is to be associatedwith the supply of another item, the process 600 returns to step 602,otherwise the process 600 ends.

Having set forth in FIG. 6 a process 600 for associating a supply ofitems with the terminal 410 of FIG. 4A, an example will now be presentedusing the process 600 of FIG. 6 wherein a pharmacy technician associatesthe items Atenolol and Diazepam with the terminals 410 a and 410 billustrated in FIG. 5. The process 600 begins in step 601, where thepharmacy technician logs in to the association station 430 using hisuser identification and password. In step 602, the pharmacy technicianselects the terminal 410 a in a container 510, and in step 603 entersthe description “Atenolol 20 mg” and quantity “50” to associate with theterminal 410 a. In step 604, the pharmacy technician confirms theselection of step 603. In decision step 605, the pharmacy technicianchooses to associate another terminal with the supply of another item,and the process 600 returns to step 602. Returning to step 602, thepharmacy technician selects the terminal 410 b in the container 510 (ofFIG. 5), and in step 603 enters the description “Diazepam 10 mg” andquantity “50” to associate with the terminal 410 b. In step 604, thepharmacy technician confirms the selection of step 603. In decision step605, the pharmacy technician chooses not to associate another terminalwith the supply of another item, and the process 600 ends.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process 700 for loading a supply of items in thedispensing station 500 of FIG. 5 with a terminal 410 configured usingthe process 600 of FIG. 6, according to certain embodiments. The process700 begins in step 701, where a user logs in to the dispensing station500, such as by providing authentication information. In step 702, theuser opens a container 510 of the dispensing station 500, and then instep 703 loads a supply of an item into the container 510. In step 704,the terminal 410 configured in process 600 above for the supply of theitem in the container 510 is placed near the supply of the item in thecontainer 510, such as in front of the supply. The container 510 isclosed in step 705. If in decision step 706 there are more containers toload, the process 700 returns to step 702, otherwise the user logs outof the dispensing station 500 in step 707 and the process 700 ends. Fromthe standpoint of a dispensing station 500 user, the process 700 takessix steps, in comparison with the prior art process 200 illustrated inFIG. 2, which takes 9 steps. If the dispensing station 500 stores anaverage of 70 items, the process 700 disclosed herein saves 140 steps(saving 2 steps for each of 70 items), thereby providing an improvementin efficiency and time for the user.

Having set forth in FIG. 7 a process 700 for loading a supply of itemsin the dispensing station 500 with a terminal 410 configured using theprocess 600 of FIG. 6, an example will now be presented using theprocess 700 of FIG. 7 wherein a pharmacy technician loads the itemsAtenolol and Diazepam, and the terminals 410 a and 410 b into thedispensing station 500. The process 700 begins in step 701, where thepharmacy technician logs in to the dispensing station 500 using hisfingerprint. The dispensing station 500 is thereby placed into a mode torecognize that the pharmacy technician intends to load or reorganizeitems in the dispensing station 500. In step 702, the pharmacytechnician opens the container 510 of the dispensing station 500, andthen in step 703 loads a supply of 50 Atenolol (50 mg/each) into thecontainer 510. At this step, other containers in the dispensing station500 may lock so that the dispensing station 500 can identify that anyterminals 410 placed in the dispensing station 500 are in the openedcontainer 510. In step 704, the pharmacy technician mounts the terminal410 a (configured in process 600 above for the supply of Atenolol) nearthe supply of Atenolol in a configuration that activates the mountingsensor 422 of the terminal 410 a. The container 510 is closed in step705. In decision step 706, the pharmacy technician decides there aremore containers to load, and the process 700 returns to step 702.Returning to step 702, the pharmacy technician again opens the container510 of the dispensing station 500, and then in step 703 loads a supplyof 50 Diazepam (10 mg/each) into the container 510. In step 704, thepharmacy technician mounts the terminal 410 b (configured in process 600above for the supply of Diazepam) near the supply of Diazepam in aconfiguration that activates the mounting sensor 422 of the terminal 410b. The container 510 is closed in step 705. In decision step 706, thepharmacy technician decides there are no more containers to load, thepharmacy technician logs out of the dispensing station 500 in step 707,and the process 700 ends.

FIG. 8 illustrates a process 800 for reorganizing a supply of items inthe dispensing station 500 of FIG. 5, according to certain embodiments.The process 800 begins in step 801, where a user logs in to thedispensing station 500, such as by providing authentication information.In step 802, the user opens a container 510 of the dispensing station500, and then in step 803 reorganizes the locations of items in thecontainer 510. In step 804, the user moves the terminals 410 associatedwith the items according to the reorganized location of the items, sothat each terminal 410 associated with a supply of an item is proximalto the supply of the item. The container 510 is closed in step 805. Ifin decision step 806 there are more containers to reorganize, theprocess 800 returns to step 802, otherwise the user logs out of thedispensing station 500 in step 807 and the process 800 ends.

Unlike the prior art process 300 of FIG. 3, in which the user wasrequired to disassociate a pair of buttons with an item and thenre-associate a new pair of buttons with the item, in the process 800disclosed herein the user simply needs to move the terminal 410 alongwith the item. The number of steps in process 800 is reduced by half (7steps in process 800 versus 14 steps in process 300) compared to theprior art process 300 for reorganizing a supply of items.

Having set forth in FIG. 8 a process 800 for reorganizing a supply ofitems in the dispensing station 500 of FIG. 5, an example will now bepresented using the process 800 of FIG. 8 wherein a pharmacy technicianreorganizes the items Atenolol and Diazepam, and their associatedterminals 410 a and 410 b, in the dispensing station 500. The process800 begins in step 801, where the pharmacy technician logs in to thedispensing station 500 using his fingerprint. The dispensing station 500is thereby placed into a mode to recognize that the pharmacy technicianintends to load or reorganize items in the dispensing station 500. Instep 802, the pharmacy technician opens the container 510 of thedispensing station 500 containing the supplies of Atenolol and Diazepam,and then in step 803 reorganizes the container 510 by removing thesupply of Diazepam from the container 510. At step 802, other containersin the dispensing station 500 may lock so that the dispensing station500 can identify that any terminals reorganized in the dispensingstation 500 are in the opened container 510. In step 804, the pharmacytechnician removes the terminal 410 b associated with the supply ofDiazepam. The container 510 is closed in step 805. In decision step 806,the pharmacy technician decides there are more containers to reorganizebecause he wants to add the supply of Diazepam to another container 520(illustrated in FIG. 5) in the dispensing station 500, so the process800 returns to step 802. Returning to step 802, the pharmacy technicianopens the other container 520 of the dispensing station 500, and in step803 reorganizes the container 520 by loading the supply of Diazepam intothe container 520. In step 804, the pharmacy technician mounts theterminal 410 b associated with the supply of Diazepam into the container520 in a configuration that activates the mounting sensor 422 of theterminal 410 b. The pharmacy technician may optionally press both thetake button 414 and the return button 412 of the terminal 410 b togetherto indicate to the controller 506 of the dispensing station (asdiscussed above) that the supply of Diazepam is now located in container520, not container 510. The container 520 is closed in step 805. Indecision step 806, the pharmacy technician decides there are no morecontainers to reorganize, the pharmacy technician logs out of thedispensing station 500 in step 807, and the process 800 ends.

FIG. 9 illustrates a process for adding a new supply of items to thedispensing station 500 of FIG. 5, according to certain embodiments. Theprocess 900 begins in step 901, where a user logs in to the dispensingstation 500, such as by providing authentication information. In step902, the user opens a container 510 of the dispensing station 500, andthen in step 903 reorganizes the locations of items in the container510. In step 904, the user moves the terminals 410 associated with theitems according to the reorganized location of the items, so that eachterminal 410 associated with a supply of an item is proximal to thesupply of the item. In step 905, a supply for a new item is placed inthe open container 510, and a remote terminal 410 associated with thesupply for the new item is placed in proximity to the supply incontainer 510. The container 510 is closed in step 906. If in decisionstep 906 there are more containers to reorganize or to which new itemsare to be added, the process 900 returns to step 902, otherwise the userlogs out of the dispensing station 500 in step 908 and the process 900ends. As can be seen from the disclosed process 900 for adding a newitem to a container 510, only one new step, step 905, is added ascompared to the disclosed process 800 for reorganizing items in acontainer 510.

Having set forth in FIG. 9 a process 900 for adding a new supply ofitems to the dispensing station 500 of FIG. 5, an example will now bepresented using the process 900 of FIG. 9 wherein a pharmacy technicianadds the item Acebutolol and an associated terminal 410 in thedispensing station 500. The process 900 begins in step 901, where thepharmacy technician logs in to the dispensing station 500 using hisfingerprint. The dispensing station 500 is thereby placed into a mode torecognize that the pharmacy technician intends to load or reorganizeitems in the dispensing station 500. In step 902, the pharmacytechnician opens the container 510 of the dispensing station 500, andthen in step 903 reorganizes the locations of items in the container 510to create space for the new item, Acebutolol. At step 902, othercontainers in the dispensing station 500 may lock so that the dispensingstation 500 can identify that any terminals reorganized in thedispensing station 500 are in the opened container 510. In step 904, thepharmacy technician moves the terminals 410 associated with the itemsaccording to the reorganized location of the items, so that eachterminal 410 associated with a supply of an item is proximal to thesupply of the item in a configuration that activates each mountingsensor 422 of the terminals 410. In step 905, a supply for Acebutolol isplaced in the open container 510, and a remote terminal 410 associatedwith the supply of Acebutolol is placed near the supply in the container510. The container 510 is closed in step 906. The pharmacy techniciandecides there are no more containers to reorganize in decision step 906,the pharmacy technician logs out of the dispensing station 500 in step908, and the process 900 ends.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a supply cabinet thatincludes mobile (e.g., wireless) terminals that can be quickly movedfrom one container in the cabinet to another container, and quicklyassociated and/or disassociated with a supply of items in the container.The mobile terminals are configured to transmit information indicatingchanges in quantity of the supply of the items, and can assist thecabinet's controller in determining the location of the items.

While certain aspects and embodiments of the invention have beendescribed, these have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other formswithout departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a first mobile terminalcomprising transceiver equipment for communicating with a client device,the first mobile terminal configured to, when associated with anelectronic storage cabinet having a plurality of containers, detect,using radio-frequency identification (RFID) recognition, a respectiveitem unit being moved from or to a respective container of the pluralityof containers based on detecting an RFID tag affixed to the respectiveitem unit, and to transmit an output comprising an indication of therespective item unit being moved from or to the respective container;and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructionsthereon that, when executed by an item association station, cause theitem association station to perform operations comprising: associatingthe first mobile terminal with a first item type stored in theelectronic storage cabinet; receiving, from the transceiver equipment ofthe first mobile terminal, the output indicating the first item typebeing moved from or to a first container of the plurality of containers;electronically obtaining, from a controller of the electronic storagecabinet, in connection with receiving the output, an access statusindicating which of the plurality of containers is open and which of theplurality of containers is closed; determining a new location for therespective item unit based on the received output and the electronicallyobtained access status; and causing, responsive to determining the newlocation, a supply record associated with the first item type and thefirst container of the electronic storage cabinet to be updated toreflect a change to a first amount of the first item type stored in thefirst container.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the access statusindicates which of the plurality of containers is open and which of theplurality of containers is closed by indicating that a respectivecontainer associated with the new location is the only currentlyaccessible container of the plurality of containers.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein determining the new location for the respective itemunit based on the access status of the plurality of containers comprisesdetermining a prior container location of the respective item unit and anew container location of the respective item unit.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein causing the supply record to be updated comprisescausing the supply record to be updated to reflect that a first amountof the first item type decreased in the first container of the pluralityof containers, and that a second amount of the first item type increasedin a second container of the plurality of containers.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the electronic storage cabinet is a medicationdispensing cabinet and the first item type is a medication type.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determining,while the first container and a second container of the plurality ofcontainers are open, that the first mobile terminal is placed at thefirst container and then moved to a second container of the plurality ofcontainers.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein first mobile terminalbeing configured to transmit the output comprises the first mobileterminal being configured to transmit the output based on a sensorassociated with the first mobile terminal indicating that the firstmobile terminal is in use with the electronic storage cabinet.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: associatinga second mobile terminal with a second item type and the electronicstorage cabinet; receiving, from the second mobile terminal, a secondindication of a second item unit of the second item type being moved;determining a container location for the second item unit based on anaccess status of one or more respective containers of the electronicstorage cabinet and receiving the indication of the respective item unitbeing moved from the second mobile terminal; and causing, responsive todetermining the container location, a supply record associated with thesecond item type and a second container of the electronic storagecabinet to be updated to reflect a change to a second amount of thesecond item type stored in the second container.
 9. A method,comprising: associating a first mobile terminal with an electronicstorage cabinet having a plurality of containers, the first mobileterminal comprising transceiver equipment for communicating with aclient device, the first mobile terminal configured to detect, usingradio-frequency identification (RFID) recognition, a respective itemunit being moved from or to a respective container of the plurality ofcontainers based on detecting an RFID tag affixed to the respective itemunit, and to transmit an output comprising an indication of therespective item unit being moved from or to the respective container;associating, using an association station, the first mobile terminalwith a first item type stored in the electronic storage cabinet;receiving, from the transceiver equipment of the first mobile terminal,the output indicating the first item type being moved from or to a firstcontainer of the plurality of containers; electronically obtaining, froma controller of the electronic storage cabinet, in connection withreceiving the output, an access status indicating which of the pluralityof containers is open and which of the plurality of containers isclosed; determining a new location for the respective item unit based onthe received output and the electronically obtained access status; andcausing, responsive to determining the new location, a supply recordassociated with the first item type and the first container of theelectronic storage cabinet to be updated to reflect a change to a firstamount of the first item type stored in the first container.
 10. Themethod of claim
 9. wherein the access status indicates which of theplurality of containers is open and which of the plurality of containersis closed by indicating that a respective container associated with thenew location is the only currently accessible container of the pluralityof containers.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein causing the supplyrecord to be updated comprises causing the supply record to be updatedto reflect that a first amount of the first item type decreased in thefirst container of the plurality of containers, and that a second amountof the first item type increased in a second container of the pluralityof containers.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the newlocation for the respective item unit based on the access status of theplurality of containers comprises determining a prior container locationof the respective item unit and a new container location of therespective item unit.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronicstorage cabinet is a medication dispensing cabinet and the first itemtype is a medication type.
 14. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: receiving, from a sensor associated with the first mobileterminal, an indication that the first mobile terminal is in use withthe electronic storage cabinet; and transmitting the output based on asensor associated with the first mobile terminal indicating that thefirst mobile terminal is in use with the electronic storage cabinet. 15.The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprise: associatinga second mobile terminal with a second item type and the electronicstorage cabinet; receiving, from the second mobile terminal, a secondindication of a second item unit of the second item type being moved;determining a container location for the second item unit based on anaccess status of one or more respective containers of the electronicstorage cabinet and receiving the indication of the respective item unitbeing moved from the second mobile terminal; and causing, responsive todetermining the container location, a supply record associated with thesecond item type and a second container of the electronic storagecabinet to be updated to reflect a change to a second amount of thesecond item type stored in the second container.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that,when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform operations, comprising: associating a mobileterminal with an electronic storage cabinet having a plurality ofcontainers, the mobile terminal comprising transceiver equipment forcommunicating with a client device, the mobile terminal configured todetect, using radio-frequency identification (RFID) recognition, arespective item unit being moved from or to a respective container ofthe plurality of containers based on detecting an RFID tag affixed tothe respective item unit, and to transmit an output comprising anindication of the respective item unit being moved from or to therespective container; associating, using an association station, themobile terminal with an item type stored in the electronic storagecabinet; receiving, from the transceiver equipment of the mobileterminal, the output indicating the item type being moved from or to afirst container of the plurality of containers; electronicallyobtaining, from a controller of the electronic storage cabinet, inconnection with receiving the output, an access status indicating whichof the plurality of containers is open and which of the plurality ofcontainers is closed; determining a new location for the respective itemunit based on the received output and the electronically obtained accessstatus; and causing, responsive to determining the new location, asupply record associated with the item type and the first container ofthe electronic storage cabinet to be updated to reflect a change to afirst amount of the item type stored in the first container.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the accessstatus indicates which of the plurality of containers is open and whichof the plurality of containers is closed by indicating that a respectivecontainer associated with the new location is the only currentlyaccessible container of the plurality of containers.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein causing thesupply record to be updated comprises causing the supply record to beupdated to reflect that a first amount of the item type decreased in thefirst container of the plurality of containers, and that a second amountof the item type increased in a second container of the plurality ofcontainers.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,wherein determining the new location for the respective item unit basedon the access status of the plurality of containers comprisesdetermining a prior container location of the respective item unit and anew container location of the respective item unit.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operationsfurther comprising: receiving, from a sensor associated with the mobileterminal, an indication that the mobile terminal is in use with theelectronic storage cabinet; and transmitting the output based on asensor associated with the mobile terminal indicating that the mobileterminal is in use with the electronic storage cabinet.